Social Psychology of Religion Laboratory

Overview

Seeking always to be deeply respectful of faith traditions, research in this lab engages in both “number crunching” and “story telling” with respect to the distinctly psychological components inherent in people’s multifaceted spiritual journeys. In brief, we explore how people’s theological beliefs relate to their daily lives.

The collaborative nature of these efforts involves forming interdisciplinary research partnerships across the US and in other countries including Denmark, Kenya, Sweden, and the UK. Typical projects employ novel methodologies to collect information on topics such as the practice of prayer, how people think (or don’t) like intuitive theologians, the role of the body in expressing faith (including neuroscientific approaches), conflict resolution in religious contexts, and ways that belief influences responses to trauma.